Electoral Registers
Electoral registers (or burgess rolls) list
all those local inhabitants who were eligible to vote in local
and Parliamentary elections. They represent an important source
for the local historian and often throw up information not available
elsewhere.
History
Before 1832 the group of people listed in
electoral registers was very small and was limited to menwith
freehold property worth at least 40 shillings per annum. In 1832
the franchise was extended to include copyholders of £10, and leaseholders of £50. The Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884 widened thefranchise even further, and these
extensions are reflected in the progressive increase in the number
of names recorded in the registers.
Arrangement
The registers are preserved in the Local
Studies Collection from 1832 onwards. These are to be found at
Halifax Central Library, West Yorkshire. They are arranged in
the main by ward and then by street or person. In the early registers,
the entry for each voter gives the abode, the nature of the qualification
(eg freehold mill) and the situation of the qualifying property.
Use and limitations
Electoral registers can be helpful in a number
of ways, eg:
- In ascertaining building dates of houses
and streets.
- In determining an individual's
period of residence in a specific property or locality.
The main limitations are:
- The exclusion of individuals not eligible
to vote.
- The frequent non-alphabetical arrangement
of names and the absence of persons and street indexes.
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